The invention relates to an open motor vehicle, such as a convertible or roadster, having at least one vehicle seat accommodated in a vehicle interior which has a backrest and a headrest, having a wind partition which is assigned to the at least one seat and which is arranged behind the backrest covering at least the headrest area, and having a heating system which has at least one heat exchanger through which at least a portion of the air flows which reaches the wind partition.
In the case of a known motor vehicle of this type (German Patent Document No. 197 00 739 C1), the flatly designed heat exchanger extends directly over a portion of the effective surface of the wind partition. In one embodiment, the heat exchanger is integrated in the form of an electric resistance wire mesh into the wind partition. In another embodiment, the flatly constructed heat exchanger is joined as an inherently rigid structure in parallel onto the wind partition and is connected with the latter by means of fastening elements. The heat exchanger is either heated electrically or is operated by means of a liquid or gaseous medium in a heat transmission circuit. The heating output is controlled as a function of the driving speed.
By means of such a heated wind partition, an open driving is permitted even at low outside temperatures because the air, which, as the result of the reverse flow of the air stream flowing through the wind partition from its rear side, is heated and warms the vehicle occupant in the particularly sensitive neck and shoulder region.
It is an object of the invention to ensure, in the case of a vehicle of the initially mentioned type, the advantageous supply of warm air to the headrest area without an intervention into the wind partition and thus ensure freedom with respect to the design of the wind partition.
In the case of a vehicle of the type referred to above, this object is achieved by providing an arrangement wherein the at least one heat exchanger is integrated in a shaft or air flow channel constructed in the vehicle interior behind the backrest.
The motor vehicle according to the invention has the advantage that the heating system is not arranged in or on the wind partition itself and therefore does not impair or interfere with design efforts for obtaining an attractive wind partition, but is arranged in the vehicle interior and can be covered there in a very simple manner by means of a covering or padding. The heating system operates dynamically while utilizing the reverse flow of the air stream behind the partition and requires no separate fan, which, however, can be provided optionally, in order to obtain the heating comfort when driving extremely slowly or when stopped.
Advantageous embodiments of the motor vehicle according to the invention with expedient further developments of the invention are described herein and in the claims.
According to an advantageous feature of the preferred embodiments of the invention, an air duct which leads to the leg space is branched off the shaft below the air outflow device, which air duct is provided at the free end with an outlet opening. As a result, the leg space below the vehicle seat is additionally heated, which is advantageous particularly for four-seat convertibles.
According to certain preferred embodiments of the invention, the shaft accommodating the heat exchanger is arranged on the interior back wall extending vertically behind the vehicle seat. The shaft can very easily be accommodated and visually covered there, so that it is invisible.
In an alternative embodiment of the invention, the shaft is constructed in an indentation which extends along the whole width of the interior and which starts from the rearward board edge and extends to the rear wall of the interior. This construction of the shaft is advantageous for a two-seat open motor vehicle, in the case of which the backrests close off directly with the rear wall of the interior and therefore no clearance exists between the backrest and the rear wall.
Other advantages, features, and details of the invention will be found in the description below in which a number of embodiments of the invention are described in detail with reference to the drawings. The features referred to in the claims and the specification may be important to the invention individually or in any combination.